Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelensky said Saturday that the war in the Middle East between Israel and Hamas is "taking away the focus" from the Ukraine conflict.
He made the remarks in a press conference in Kiev while standing alongside EU Commission chief Ursula von der Leyen, at a moment headlines have turned negative on the prospect of ever being able to beat back the Russians. "Of course, it's clear that the war in the Middle East, this conflict, is taking away the focus," Zelensky said in the surprisingly blunt admission.
He began his remarks by commenting on the front line situation, which hasn't changed significantly in many months. "Time has passed, people are tired... But this is not a stalemate," he said.
"No one among our partners is pressuring us to sit down with Russia, talk to it, and give it something," he added, after reports have in the last days emerged that Washington is exploring possible concessions to the Russians behind the scenes.
Zelensky claimed that it's "Russia's goal" to take global focus away from the Ukraine war. "We have already been in very difficult situations when there was almost no focus on Ukraine," he said, before adding, "I am absolutely sure we will overcome this challenge."
